Chlorite Schist

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Heavily descends Qi and transforms stubborn phlegm - Qing Meng Shi is reserved for thick, old, clumped phlegm that ordinary phlegm-transforming herbs cannot easily clear, especially when coughing, wheezing, or chest oppression are severe.
• Calms the Liver and stops convulsions - traditional indications include phlegm-heat with seizures, epilepsy, mania, or severe agitation when the orifices are obstructed and internal wind is stirred.
• Resolves food stagnation and masses - classical texts also connect the mineral with severe food accumulation, abdominal masses, and constipation when phlegm and stagnation obstruct the middle burner.
• Acts as a strong downward-driving mineral - its therapeutic identity depends on heaviness and sinking action, which is why it is usually processed and used for excess patterns only.

Secondary Actions

• Modern clinical practice distinguishes Qing Meng Shi from Jin Meng Shi, though both appear under the broader name Meng Shi in many references; Qing Meng Shi is the chlorite-schist form and the older classical standard.
• Because the raw mineral is harsh, internal use usually relies on processed or calcined material, often in pill or powder form rather than as a simple decoction.

Classic Formulas

• Gun Tan Wan (滚痰丸) - the archetypal phlegm-fire formula using Meng Shi to drive down severe old phlegm with constipation, mania, seizures, and chest obstruction.
• Ding Xian Wan (定痫丸) - seizure-oriented formula logic in which Qing Meng Shi helps drag obstructing phlegm downward while companion herbs settle wind and clear heat.
• Dao Tan Tang modifications - later practice adds Qing Meng Shi when ordinary phlegm-transforming herbs are insufficient for stubborn, deep-seated phlegm.

Classical References

• Me and Qi describes Qing Meng Shi as a mineral medicine used primarily for difficult, stubborn phlegm that ordinary remedies cannot clear, especially when thick phlegm causes hard-to-expectorate cough or contributes to convulsions and mental agitation.
• American Dragon lists Qing Meng Shi as sweet, salty, and neutral, entering the Liver, Lung, and Stomach channels, with actions of descending Qi, reducing phlegm, calming the Liver, and controlling convulsions.
• Classical and modern commentary alike stress that only the calcined or appropriately processed material should be used internally, and then only for acute excess conditions rather than deficiency states.